Harry East by Lath

Puzzle explanation

The initially filled grid, before carrying out the instructions, is shown here, including shading and chess pieces for illustration only. The missing letters in 13 clues spelt out “whose mate is it?”. Corrections to the misprints in other clues gave “obey block of thirty-two cells”. A central 8×4 area contained the instructions “erase these letters; play all the moves”; clearing that area left an 8×8 “chessboard” in the middle of the grid, with 32 letters standing for chess pieces in their initial positions. The words BLACK above and WHITE below indicated the chessboard’s orientation, with the cells at the bottom and right of the grid containing the conventional coordinates a-g and 1-8. (Upper or lower case was accepted for the column coordinates.) The extra letter pairs and lengths of first words in the remanining clues produced Pe4 Pe5 Bc4 Bc5 Qh5 Nf6 Qf7, the sequence of moves for a Scholar’s Mate. Playing it out in the grid, the letters involved (including the R for the captured pawn, moved to the barred-off corner cell), spelt SCHOLAR. The puzzle’s title referred to Harry East, the close friend (mate) of Tom Brown (the scholar) in the novel Tom Brown’s School Days.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No (Misprint)/-missing-/[extra] letters Answer Explanation
Across
1 f(O)llow SÁBADO S + ABBADO − B
5 (B)oat LASKET LET around ASK
10 Min(E) BLACK DAMP BP around (LACK + DAM)
12 s-W-inging ICARIAN (NAIRA + C + I’) <
15 Bon(Y) ALAE A in ALE
16 clot-H ENSCROLLS SCORN * in ELLS
17 (B)itter RUER RUBBER − BB
20 oi(L) ETHENE THEN in (b)EE(r)
21 O-Scar OSSELET O + LESS < + E(xplains) T(he)
22 tree-S TERES TREES *
24 Sh(O)w DISPLAY PLAY after DIS
26 E-very ALLAH ALL + A + H
28 I(C)onic ANTHEM (Indi)AN THEM(e)
31 ban(K)s VESLE SLEEV(e) *
33 shar[PE]n HARNS SHARN *
34 [PE]an SANTS S(ing) + AN + T(emple)S
36 B(O)nes CORALLA ORCA * + ALL <
37 Le-M-on CRAG C + RAG
38 (F)illy HORSING HO + RINGS *
39 W[BC] WHITE W + HIT + E
40 T[BC] DIET DIE + T
41 (T)in DÉCIME (EM + ICED) <
Down
1 (H)eat SBIRRO SO around BIRR
2 A-bout BAADE B + A + AD + E
3 (I)rish ACRE AC + R + E
4 Faro[Q H]as ODAS D in ((Far)O + AS)
5 fo(R)m LANCET (free)LANCE T(rader)
6 T-raveller AMORT (T + ROMA) <
7 ba(T)h SPA SP + A
8 corps-E KILLER (REL + LIK(e)) <
9 wa(Y)s TMESES MESE in (T + S)
11 ba(T)hing BALNEAL BALL around NEA(t)
13 Co-I-n COUSINHOOD COIN around US + HOOD
14 (W)hole IN ALL (p)IN + (b)ALL
18 rew(O)rding REPHRASE (HER SPARE) *
19 S-eat SEAMS SEA(t) + MS
22 have[N F]at TAVAH (HAVE AT) < − E
23 a(C)ts ELENCHI (CHINESE + L − S) *
24 [Q F]actor DATCHA (ACTOR HAD − OR) *
25 s(E)a STARR ST + ARR
27 C(L)ose HEDGE H + EDGE
29 kind(L)ed ENLIT ((spiri)T + LINE) *
30 (S)outh OSAGE O’ + S + AGE
32 mo-I-st STRIM (MOIST − O + R) *
35 sea-T SATE SEAT *
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